Engine Starting Issues

Finally took care of one of the gremlins in the electrical system this weekend. I tend to dislike troubleshooting electrical issues. It has never been one of my strong suites, and I tend to avoid things I’m not good at (or don’t have much hope of improving on). So the friend of the previous owner had been playing with a remote starting system after the old man passed. He didn’t hook the ignition system back up as it was supposed to be so this whole time I’ve had to climb into the engine room through one of the cockpit lazarettes. A lazarette is a cabinet built into the seating arrangement of the cockpit of a boat. On my boat when you open the cabinet door there is a wood box that you can lift out. You can then climb down into the engine room to access the water heater, battery charger and side of the engine where the starter is located. I had to climb down here (it’s approximately 1/2″ larger than my body if I place my left knee around my right shoulder and only use one hand) to jump the battery connection to the starter when I wanted the diesel to run. As I don’t have an autopilot yet, this became slightly dangerous if I had to start the motor in traffic or close waterways. So I haven’t been taking the boat out much just to not get into a bind.

Enlarging My Engine Starting Issues

As this gremlin also seemed to affect the tachometer I built it into a massive project in my mind. And as with all monsters under the bed, the best solution is to just curl up under the covers and think of something else. So I put this project off and off and off. Well, I need to take the boat out of this murky marina and out into some clean water so I can scrub the bottom (I can hear the turtles at night munching on the weeds growing on the underside). So I did some research online trying to figure out the schematics on the back of the ignition switch. I tried jumping the power input with the output line that goes to the starter with no results. Then that moment when I was making things too complicated hit me. I ran a long wire from the starter solenoid up through the companionway and to the switch. 5 minutes later I was able to start the engine. Easy peasy. I reran the wire from the solenoid, along with the existing wiring harness and up to the switch. Gremlin is slain, and we have engine control at the helm. Remember always check the simple shit first.

With the upcoming sail plan changes coming in December ( the first phase is going to run me almost $9,000) I’m limited to doing just simple, low-cost projects. I’ve ordered painting supplies, so I’ll start on remodeling the interior, starting with the head. With the new head installed this room will be easy as it will just be painting, new counter tile and some minor refurbishing of the wood trim.